F2I: Learning Your Own Body and Becoming YOU

One of the amazing things I enjoy about working out is how much you get to learn about your own body.  When working out, it is basically you against yourself.  Your mind will try and place tricks on you (this is normal and happens to everyone so you are not alone) to get you to stop a couple reps early or not push further when you can or simply try to get you to skip the workout completely.  On the contrary, your mind can be trained to push you beyond the limits of where you have not crossed before and reap greater progress.  See the point here?  If you train your mind as much as you train your body, you will see better results.  Working out is sometimes more mental than physical.  Where the mind goes, the body will follow.

Preparation is Key

Before you even walk into the gym, prepare your meals you are going to eat beforehand.  Let us face it, when it is time to eat, if there is nothing prepared, many tend to splurge and eat anything in sight.  It is just a part of being human.  You WILL do this.  Unless, you spend a few minutes every day preparing meals and making sure clean foods are available when you are done your workout.  By doing this, you will be that much ahead of yourself and deflect any potential ill cravings before they start.  Since we all enter the gym as humans and leave as beasts!

Eating Clean Promotes Quicker Results

Your body will be fueled by what you put into it.  If you put in garbage, you will feel like garbage.  Slow, tired, sluggish, and mentally not able to focus (trust me, I was there and it is NOT the place you want to find yourself).  If you put in clean foods, you will run like a fine oiled machine and have the energy, stamina, and mental alertness that you probably all miss.  I know I am enjoying getting this feeling back and it comes back fast.  I am not talking about months, I am talking about days!  Your body learns quickly and it adapts.  You will be surprised to its growth if you learn it and work with it in the right way.  Listen to your body.

Be Yourself Not Someone Else

Lastly, do not look at someone else’s goals or physique and compare yourself to them.  Everyone’s body is different.  Much is hereditary and tied deep into gene structure.  We will not go into the science behind it, but know that by learning your own body, you become the best YOU possible.  No one else can be YOU.  Make your goals specific to YOUR own body and challenges.  Definitely make them challenging as well.  A goal that is easy will come and go without the feeling of accomplishment.  A goal that is challenge, but still achievable, is worth its weight in gold!  Trust me!

Start with YOU and become a champion like you were destined to become.

Train Hard – Train Smart!

Ray

F2I: Becoming a Champion Through Goals

Week three completed and onward we go tomorrow into the start of week 4. Feeling great and already noticing a difference with increased energy and willingness to be more active with at work and personal activities. This goes a long way when just a few weeks back, you felt lethargic and only wanted to hang around and watch TV, never mind just walking up stairs took your breath away. Sad, but keep being real with yourself. Post pictures of how you looked before and find some as to where you want to be long term. Plaster them in front of you so you see them daily as reminders. Yes, it does work as a form of positive reinforcement…trust me!

Small progression over time is really how champions are made. It is not coming out of the chute and dropping massive amounts of weight fast but more so, taking your time and learning your body over time. Let your body respond naturally to progression and let it learn itself as well. Keep pushing toward your goals and always make sure you use appropriate goals that are YOURS and not someone else’s. What do I mean by goals?

Goals are very important because they are in effect, benchmarks on your journey to where you want to be. Goals should be comprised of both short, medium, and long term goals. The goals should also be achievable (realistic) and not impossible based upon your own circumstances. Never take someone else’s goals and try to retrofit them to your own. You would simply be doing yourself and injustice and if per chance you do not meet them, will discourage yourself at the same time. Discouragement kills.

When you reach each of the smaller goals, you should also then focus on the next small goal which should bring you eventually to your medium and likewise, long term goals. Use them as stepping stones and a positive reinforcement that you are making progress. Never stop reaching for your goals and never simply STOP. It would be better to crawl than just stop altogether. Why waste the precious project you have already made. Remember them.

Onward and upward!

Train Hard – Train Smart!

Ray

 

 

F2I: Building and Maintaining Purpose

When you wake up in the morning and you are already asking yourself if you are going to the gym or not, you have already failed.  Learn to get to the point of maintaining your self-awareness and mind to expect and condition a routine without thinking.  When you wake up, you know what is already ahead of you and there is no question, it is just doing.  This takes some time to get to this point, but it will happen.  Keep your purpose in front of you at all times.  What do I mean by Purpose?

For me personally, my Purpose is to get back into shape for health reasons, not necessarily looks, which of course is a nice byproduct of doing everything right.  Your Purpose should be something you hold dear.  Something that will drive you in the right direction and always light that spark you will need in times of challenging events or obstacles.  A Purpose is having an unquestionable set of goals and hunger to achieve them.  Without Purpose, you are going through exercises without knowing where you are going.  It is like walking around in the dark.  Yes, you are moving, but you do not know where you are, where you have been, or where you are going.  Purpose extends beyond goals even.  Goals are fundamental steps to a Purpose, but a Purpose answers the big question of Why.

Tomorrow ends Week 2 for me.  The first 2-3 days are always the toughest when getting back into a routine and establishing a purpose.  Once you are over this initial hurdle, the rest falls into place and is fueled by your drive, hunger, and willingness to simply do what it takes for yourself to reach where you want to be.

Train Hard, Train Smart.

Ray